From the Editor: My Odyssey

Wow. It’s hard to believe I’m just sitting here, with no plans to travel anywhere. And having just completed a whirlwind, world-wide journey (capped with a stormy finish), I’m more than happy to stay put for a while.

As you know, I was at Drupa, racing around that massive German trade show to see what the manufacturers have in store for you. I was back barely two days when I was on a plane again, headed for the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association conference in Tunica, Miss. (Germany and Mississippi; there’s a combination you don’t see too often.)

I rented a car in Memphis and raced south in the 95-degree heat, reaching the hotel in Tunica just in time to hop aboard the Tunica Queen riverboat for IPMA’s evening excursion. There I was reunited with dozens of IPMA friends. I hung out with such industry luminaries as John Sarantakos, from the University of Oklahoma, who is IPMA’s new president elect, and Debbie Pavletich, of Briggs & Stratton, the current IPMA president. I talked with Frank Davis, of the University of Washington, about his record-setting new iGen3, as we watched the sun set over the Mississippi River (in its pre-flood days). His “neighbor” Jean-Luc Devis, Washington’s State Printer, told me about the NexPress soon to be delivered to his in-plant. James Mason, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, updated me on the influx of digital technology in his in-plant. There were so many people to talk to, it was like a class reunion.

The conference went well, with lots of great sessions. I managed to give a presentation about Drupa, which I had pulled together in record time. I shot and edited a video of the massive trade show, and previewed it for the group, making IPMA the first association in the United States to see and hear about Drupa 2008. Based on the reactions I got, people seemed to have enjoyed my talk, which was, admittedly, a bit more lighthearted than my usual presentations.

The awards banquet was a big success, and even featured awards for promotional videos made by several in-plants. Like last year, the In-Print Best of Show winner was revealed in a video that I made showing the judges picking the winner. For the second year in a row, ConocoPhillips won the grand prize.

Then, after working through two consecutive weekends, and eager to get home to my family, I rose at 6 for an early flight. Changing planes in Chicago, we pulled away from the gate on time—only to sit on the runway for a staggering four hours, waiting for storms to pass. Then American canceled the flight.

The ordeal I went through the rest of that day is not something I’d wish on my enemies. Unable to schedule a flight home until a full day later (which would have routed me through Miami), I bought an entirely new ticket to Philadelphia on Southwest. Only problem: Southwest flies out of Midway. I was in O’Hare.

A $65, cross-city cab ride later, I was at Midway in time for a 9:30 flight. We didn’t board until 11. And then, guess what? Storms again. Another hour on the runway. To cut to the chase, I got home at 4 a.m. So much for time with the family.

So you’ll forgive me for not being eager to make any more trips this summer. I’ve about had it with airplanes for a while.